The Hunt for Tsunade
by Lord22
Summary: Legendary Sannin Tsunade has ripped off her last bank. In response to her massive unpaid debts, a conglomerate of banks has set a bounty on her head. They want her captured and executed. And Zabuza Momochi intends to collect. AU.
1. Clash! Tsunade Vs Zabuza!

**Chapter One: Clash! The Legendary Sannin Vs. The Demon of the Hidden Mist!**

Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, felt a bit out of his element. He and his subordinate Haku made their way through the village. It was a cheerful, rural sort of area. A farmer wheeled his goods along to the market.

The six-foot-tall tan-skinned professional murderer with a sword as large felt out of place. Haku faired moderately better with her colorful attire. But it was nothing like home.

The door they came to met the address. But it was not the sort of place one would expect to find a man who was hiring a ninja. It was a house built into a mossy green hill. It had a perfectly round door, like a portal, painted bright blue and a golden knocker: no guards or anything.

'This is the place.' confirmed Haku.

Zabuza made his way forward, and, after a moment of contemplation, knocked.

'No!' roared a voice from inside. 'I don't want any more sycophants or gamblers! And no Mom and Pop stores demanding a loan they can't pay back for that matter!'

'I am Zabuza Momochi.' said Zabuza, annoyed.

There was silence. Then the door opened to reveal a short little man with white hair. He wore a bright red waistcoat, and brown pants and clogs were on his feet. Well, this is a bit awkward.'

'You called for me, Banker Gortel.' asked Zabuza.

'Ah, yes, I apologize. I've been run off my feet lately.' said Gortel. 'Some of my relatives make themselves a nuisance. They've always wanted my estate. One day you might get a contract from them, hah! Come in.'

Zabuza and Haku entered while Gortel bustled around, talking as if welcoming in a house guest. This was not the sort of reaction Zabuza was used to. Most of his employers either were stone-cold terrified of him or regarded him as a living weapon.

'I wasn't expecting you so soon.' said Gortel as he entered the kitchen. 'Would you care for some tea? Or perhaps something a bit stronger? I have a number of very good brands of sake I came into some years ago. Laid down by my uncle, see.'

'I'll have tea.' said Zabuza, who did not mix alcohol with business.

'It was a very good year, you know?' said Gortel. 'Are you sure?'

'Tea.' said Zabuza.

'Very well, very well,' said Gortel, 'and you young lady?'

'I'm a boy.' lied Haku.

'My apologies,' said Gortel. 'It's just with the long hair and dress I thought-'

'It is not a problem.' said Haku. 'I am often mistaken as such. I'll have some tea if you don't mind.

'Excellent.' said Gortel, setting the kettle on the stove. 'Now please, both of you sit down and make yourselves at home. We have some business to discuss.'

And that was how Zabuza and Haku found themselves sitting in a cozy living room. They were drinking tea while Gortel got settled across from them. Zabuza wondered what the man's angle was. He decided to cut to the chase. 'Why did you call for me, Gortel?'

'That is a very complicated question,' said Gortel. 'Most unfortunate business. Would you care for the details? Or shall I just give you the names and what I want to be done to them?'

'I'll take the details.' said Zabuza. 'I like to know the nature of my targets when I go after them. It helps with the kill.'

'Very well, say no more, say no more,' said Gortel. 'You may want to get comfortable; it's a long story and quite involved. But first, let me ask you something. How much do you know about the Legendary Sannin?'

'Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.' said Zabuza. 'All three of them were high priority targets in the bingo book. However, no one who has ever gone after them has managed to take them down. They were initially the most famous team of ninjas in the Leaf Village during the war. But they broke off from the village one by one. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, went wandering and spends most of his time peeping at women. That and writing pornography. Orochimaru disappeared after being caught performing inhuman experiments and founded the Sound Village. Tsunade was highly influential in creating the best medical staff in history. But she eventually left to go gambling.

'She is known for taking out vast loans and then disappearing. Only to take them out again in another form. She's a master of changing her appearance, but she always appears as a very well endowed young blonde.

'Since Jiraiya is well supplied with income. Orochimaru is nowhere to be found; I can only assume you want me to kill Tsunade.'

Gortel blinked, then clapped his hands and smiled. 'Excellent! Most excellent! Your reputation is well earned, I see. Tsunade is the target. However, I want you to capture her and her assistant. Not kill her. You can use whatever means you see fit, of course. I'm not one to micromanage, just so long as both of them are unharmed.'

'That's a very risky mission you're asking me to take.' said Zabuza, surprised again.

'Money is no object,' said Gortel. 'I represent the combined resources of hundreds of different banks from many nations. She has ripped off almost all of us. As a result of her withdrawals, many banks have failed or had to call in their loans. When that happens, small businesses also fail.

'Orochimaru might have murdered a few people. But Tsunade's a serious problem for the economy. We've all decided we want her removed from the picture.'

'So why are you coming to me?' asked Zabuza. 'This seems a perfectly legitimate target. Surely one of the Kage's could deal with her for you.'

'Ordinarily, we would,' said Gortel. 'Unfortunately, Tsunade is under the protection of the Hokage of the Leaf Village. He refuses to consider killing her. I think he is hoping she will rejoin the flock, or perhaps succeed him. Meanwhile, none of the other villages want to risk alienating the Leaf Village by killing her.

'A few were willing to work with us initially. But they all ended up humiliated. What I need is a rogue ninja unconcerned with politics, and who is at least high tier jonin level.'

'That makes sense.' mused Zabuza. 'But why captured? You don't really think you'll be able to hold her?'

'That is my affair, not yours,' said Gortel. 'Let's let each man mind his own concerns.'

Gortel had a point. It really wasn't Zabuza's problem once he got paid. 'Fair enough. Let's talk price.'

The negotiations took a while. Gortel proved a shrewd negotiator, and Zabuza found himself liking the man too much to extort him. Perhaps that had been the point. Eventually, they came to an agreement, signed a contract, and shook on it.

'Then we have a deal,' said Gortel. 'Is there anything you need from me?'

'Well, first of all, I need to know where Tsunade is,' said Zabuza flatly. 'Do you know? Or will I have to track her down myself.'

'I've been keeping careful track of all the withdrawals she is likely to have made,' said Gortel. 'Of course, it is nothing certain. But since she always appears as a beautiful buxom blonde from her teens to her thirties. I need only take out all the records of people fitting that description. Then I look at who make huge withdrawals and are reported gambling.' He offered Zabuza some papers.

Zabuza scanned through them and was surprised at how obvious it was.

'…This trail is pathetically obvious.' he mused. 'I can't believe this is one of the Legendary Sannin.'

'It isn't as though there are very many people in the world who could stop her,' mused Gortel. 'I suspect she feels no need to conceal herself. Will you head out after her right away?'

'No. Not yet,' said Zabuza. 'If her course is any indication, she'll be heading into a marsh on the way to the next town. The water there will give me an advantage.'

'Very well. A pleasure doing business with you,' said Gortel. 'I'll provide you the agreed-upon sum as soon as you bring her back.'

'Right.' said Zabuza.

They finished their tea and departed. As they did, Haku looked troubled. 'Master Zabuza, do you believe we can defeat Tsunade?'

'You can kill anyone, Haku.' said Zabuza. 'It's all a matter of finding the right method.'

* * *

Isshin was minding his place at the bank. It was soul-destroying work, but it paid decently. Then, quite abruptly, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen appeared. She had absolutely gigantic and perky… eyes, and looked at him with easy confidence.

'Excuse me. I was hoping I could take out a loan.' she said. 'If you don't mind, that is?'

'A… a loan?' said Isshin. 'How much?'

'Oh nothing much really.' said the woman, handing him a slip. 'Just a bit.'

'What the… I uh…?' His eyes widened at the number of zeroes on the page. 'Ma'am, I can't just hand out this kind of money without first… I mean, do you have an account?'

'Not yet. What say we make one?' said the woman, 'Just you and me?'

Part of Isshin felt as if he should say no to this stunningly beautiful vision of perfection. Hadn't there been warnings about someone like this? However, he wasn't thinking about that part of his anatomy at the moment. 'I uh, I've got the paperwork here.'

'Oh, that's sweet of you.' said the woman.

* * *

Shizune was waiting outside the bank with her pet pig, Tonton. Tsunade was later than usual. Usually, she was in an out in a few minutes. But today was different.

Then she saw her. Tsunade was holding a case filled with money. Shizune tried to fight off her horror at the size. 'What took you?'

'Nothing much,' said Tsunade. 'They've got posters in there with my description on them. Good thing it was my description three weeks ago, so I was able to convince them to pay up.

'Shizune, we're going to be rich!'

She opened the case. Shizune's jaw dropped. 'Lady Tsunade, that… we can't gamble away all that money!'

'Don't worry.' said Tsunade. 'I'm feeling lucky.'

Shizune had a bad feeling about this. And this was far from the first time.

A few minutes later, Tsunade strolled into the gambling den and sat down. Dozens of men looked up at her in suspicion. She returned their gaze with natural confidence. Shizune tried not to have a heart attack.

'Hello there, gentlemen.' said Tsunade. 'I'd let to get into the game.'

'Look at them.' scoffed Tsunade inwardly. 'I'm going to enjoy wiping those smirks off their faces. Today is the day.'

A few hundred gambles later, and they were penniless. Shizune slumped her shoulder as they walked through the swamps, defeated. They had skipped town as soon as they ran out. As usual. 'Lady Tsunade, did you really have to spend all of it in one day? I was hoping to not go through moving again so soon.'

'Stop complaining, Shizune.' said Tsunade. 'This town was getting dull anyway.'

'That was what you said last week.' said Shizune.

'It wasn't that bad.' said Tsunade.

'We were chased out of town by the guards. Then we had to spend the night in a ditch.' said Shizune.

'How was I supposed to know the bank was going to call its loans?' asked Tsunade. 'I figured we had a few days at least.'

'Well, we gambled and lost.' said Shizune 'Again.'

Then she ducked. It was pure reflex and not a moment too soon. A huge blade spun overhead and planted itself in the tree ahead of them. A man then appeared, tall and muscular, with tan skin and black hair. His back was to them.

'Who the…' began Shizune.

'Legendary Sannin Tsunade.' said the man. 'Your reputation proceeds you.'

'I have no idea who you are.' said Tsunade.

'That's your failing as a ninja.' said Zabuza. 'Not mine.'

'Good point.' conceded Tsunade. 'Who are you exactly?'

'My name is Zabuza Momochi.' said the man. 'I am here on behalf of the banks you've swindled to take you into custody. If you resist, it will be a waste of your life.'

Tsunade laughed. 'You really think I'm afraid of a rogue ninja?' She raised her pointer finger. 'I'll only need one finger to crush you.'

'By all means.' growled the man. 'Underestimate me.'

Suddenly the blade was in his hand, and he was surging toward Tsunade. Shizune leaped between them and fired a barrage of poisoned needles. Yet as they hit him, he fell into the water. Shizune glanced back and saw Zabuza coming at them from behind.

'Lady Tsunade, look out!' cried Shizune.

Tsunade ducked under the blade just in time, which passed within inches of Shizune's face. Bringing down one finger, Tsunade struck the ground with her finger. The ground shook as a huge pit was delved in the ground, soon filling with water. Zabuza stumbled but fell apart into water. 'A water clone?' said Tsunade. 'But then-'

She leaped into the air just in time to avoid having her legs cut off. Zabuza emerged from the water, blade striking. Tsunade backflipped away, avoiding his strikes before bringing around a fist. Zabuza narrowly dodged it and descended into the water.

A mist began to rise around them as Tsunade landed.

'He's fast.' said Shizune.

'It seems I underestimated this Zabuza.' said Tsunade. 'He's much better than most of his kind. This mist is causing problems as well. I'm not going to be able to see him.' She turned her other four senses for any sign of him.

Shizune appeared out of the mist and took place at her side. 'Lady Tsunade!'

'Shizune, watch my back.' said Tsunade. 'He's somewhere in all this mist.'

'You've left yourself wide open.' said Zabuza. 'Legendary Sannin.'

How had he gotten between them?!

His blade was swung in an arc. Tsunade and Shizune scattered and narrowly avoided being bisected. Tsunade rushed back and brought around a roundhouse kick. It nearly struck him, but he turned at the last moment to avoid it. As he did, Shizune hurled a kunai at him, which he rolled away to avoid. Zabuza landed some feet away upon the surface of the water.

'I'd advise you to quit while you're ahead. I'm on a level far above any jonin.' said Tsunade. She spoke with a confidence she did not feel. She was out of shape. In her prime, defeating someone on his level would have been easy.

But she wasn't in her prime. Years of gambling with little enough practice had made her lose a lot of the skill which she'd built up. This Zabuza was a severe threat.

'I see your reputation wasn't unearned.' said Zabuza. 'Still, this is far from over.' The mist swirled around him as he began to channel massive amounts of chakra.

'That power…' said Shizune. 'Tonton, come on!'

She grabbed the pig and leaped away moments before Zabuza finished his incantation. 'Water Dragon Jutsu!'

The swamp water formed together into a massive dragon. It roared and surged towards them. And with it came a tidal wave of power. Tsunade leaped out of the way just in time. The dragon laid waste to entire stretches of trees. Then turned around and heading for Tsunade again.

It was all she could do to avoid it.

Then she saw Shizune, landing on an out of the way branch. At least she was safe.

Then Zabuza appeared behind her.

'Shizune look out!' cried Tsunade.

It was too late. The assassin struck Shizune across the back of the neck, sending her reeling. Tsunade rushed at him in fury as he raised his sword.

'One down.' said Zabuza. 'One more to go.'

Tsunade reached him and plunged her fist into Zabuza's chest. Yet the wound bled water. Tsunade's eyes widened. 'A water clone?'

Zabuza was behind her. 'I have you!'

Tsunade turned around to see the blade descending toward her. She reached out and caught the massive blade between the palms of her hands. 'Not exactly.'

'With her bare hands…' said Zabuza, struggling to free his blade. 'Impossible!'

'For you, maybe.' said Tsunade before lashing out with one foot. Zabuza was sent reeling across the swamp to hit the ground hard. Tsunade was after him quickly, landing above him. She drew a kunai. 'You'll regret coming after me, rogue ninja.'

Zabuza rolled away and took an unsteady stance. He was at his limit.

'Lady Tsunade don't!' cried Shizune.

Tsunade hesitated. And as she hesitated, two senbon shot out of the trees and struck Zabuza in the neck. He gasped and fell to the ground, apparently dead.

'What the…' began Tsunade.

A young girl, dressed in the garb of a tracker ninja appeared on the branches above. She landed and bowed. 'My thanks.'

'Who are you?' asked Tsunade.

'I am a tracker ninja for the Village Hidden in the Mist.' said the girl. 'I have been attempting to kill Zabuza for some time now. You have given me the opportunity to do so.'

'You're a bit young for the task, aren't you?' asked Shizune, coming up behind them, carrying Tonton.

'I am quite talented.' said the girl. 'You had best tend to your friend. I will dispose of the remains.'

'Strange,' said Tsunade, 'I was under the impression that tracker ninja of the ANBU destroy the bodies of their targets.'

'This area is not appropriate for the procedure.' said the girl.

'Especially since he isn't dead.' said Tsunade. 'I taught ANBU tracker ninja. More specifically, I taught them how to make someone go into a death-like state. I might be a bit out of practice, but I'm not stupid.'

The girl stiffened and readied for a spring. But Tsunade rolled her eyes. 'Just go. Take your friend and leave. Don't come after me again.'

Haku departed along with Zabuza. They did not look back.

A few hours later, Zabuza woke up. He hissed in pain as Haku watched enjoying the spectacle. He dragged out one of the senbon.

'If you draw out my senbon like that it might make the wounds worse.' said Haku.

'Haku, you are brutal!' said Zabuza, ignoring him.

'Striking at the neck was the best way to incapacitate you while making it appear lethal.' said Haku. 'If I hadn't been there, you'd be dead.

You shouldn't try to move around too much. You've broken a few ribs.'

'That Tsunade witch is powerful.' hissed Zabuza. 'No matter. Next time her strength won't save her.'

'She knew I wasn't ANBU,' said Haku. 'We should be careful.'

'I know that.' said Zabuza, trying to stand. 'We'll watch and wait for the- arg!'

'What did I tell you about moving about?' asked Haku.

Tsunade was in a good mood. The sun was shining the breeze was swift and cool, and a new town lay on the horizon. It came with all the potential and new experiences that entailed.

Like gambling, for instance.

'Ah, finally a new town!' said Tsunade. 'Now we just need to find a moneylender, and we'll be back in business!'

'Oink.' said Tonton sadly.

'Lady Tsunade, I need to talk to you.' said Shizune.

She'd been out of sorts ever since that scrape with the rogue ninja. Tsunade looked up in concern. 'What is it?'

'We…' Shizune gulped, 'need to stop gambling.'

'What? Why?' asked Tsunade.

'We have an entire wallet of I-owe-yous.' said Shizune. 'Any of them could easily buy this whole village. And now they are sending rogue ninja after us. That Zabuza nearly killed us!'

Relax Shizune.' said Tsunade. 'I can count on one hand the number of ninjas who can match me.'

'What if they come after us in groups?' asked Shizune. 'Several jonin like Zabuza all attacking us at once?'

'There aren't that many jonin rogue ninja.' said Tsunade.

'What if a village targets us?' asked Shizune.

'They won't.' said Tsunade.

'Why not?' asked Shizune. 'We're criminals. I mean, you were once the Legendary Sannin Tsunade but…' She trailed off.

'But what?' asked Tsunade.

'Nothing.' said Shizune. 'I just think we should be more careful in how we take out loans.'

Tsunade reluctantly admitted that Shizune might have had a point. She'd always been there, and she seemed very serious. 'Alright, Shizune, if it will calm you down, I won't take out as much as usual. Now I'm going to hit the bar.'

'Oink.' said the pig.

'What is it Tonton?' Asked Shizune. The pig walked over to a power pole and pointed to a sheet of laminated paper on it. Shizune looked at it and froze. 'Eeep!'

'What is it?' asked Tsunade.

'Look!' said Shizune.

Tsunade looked at the poster and saw her face. Several dozen of her faces actually. They were pictures of the various henges she had used over the past few years. Someone had done their research. 'A wanted poster. Ugh, the quality of these pictures is terrible!'

'Lady Tsunade, this is serious!' said Shizune. 'Look, they know you've been using a henge. We've got to get out of here.'

'You're right.' agreed Tsunade 'We'll have to do something about this.'

'You mean…' began Shizune 'we're going to skip town?'

'No, I'll just create a different henge.' said Tsunade 'Right after I get a drink. Fighting rogue ninja is thirsty work.'

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Okay, this was just an idea that occurred to me while watching the search for Tsunade Arc. After all, with all those banks getting ripped off, it would make sense for them to want her taken care of. And Zabuza would be an ideal choice for taking care of her.

I hope I didn't make Zabuza seem too overpowered. I figured that since Kabuto held his own against Tsunade, Zabuza would be able to as well.

When creating the character of Gortel, I imagined the exact opposite of Gato. With inspiration from some obvious sources.


	2. Tsunade's Strength! One Tail Vs Sannin!

**Chapter Two: Tsunade's Strength! One Tail Vs. Sannin**

The phone rang, and Haku answered it. She'd been watching over Zabuza while he slept, and she wasn't in the mood. Even so, it might have been important. 'Hello?'

'I'm told things went badly for you.' said Gortel.

'You might say that.' said Haku.

'Do you require any money for medical bills?' asked Gortel. 'Security of any kind?'

'You needn't worry. I'm with him.' said Haku. 'He should be back to full strength in a day or so. It'll take a bit longer us to complete the contract though.'

'I see.' said Gortel. 'That's good to hear. Unfortunately, you may have some competition. You see, the Village Hidden in the Sand has expressed an interest in the contract. I will, of course, compensate you for your troubles. I don't want anyone to say I'm not a fair employer.'

'I was under the impression that none of the other villages wanted anything to do with this.' said Haku.

'The situation has changed.' said Gortel. 'It seems the Kazekage has been having his business poached by the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As a result, his funding has been slashed. He has agreed to deal with Tsunade. Both as a way of getting back a the Leaf Village and also in exchange for funding.

'I rather like the idea of going into the ninja business actually.'

'You should be careful before you do anything of the sort.' said Haku. 'You might end up dead.'

'Well, these things are all still up in the air.' laughed Gortel. 'I'll leave you in peace.' Haku put down the phone.

Zabuza slammed his fist against the desk, cracking it. 'I will not have my targets poached by the Sand Village. Haku, as soon as I'm recovered, we'll deal with Tsunade.'

'What if they succeed?' asked Haku,

'Then we'll kill the team who captured her and steal their precious cargo.' said Zabuza.

In the office of the Kazekage, three children stood before their leader. The leader was a tall man whose face was shrouded by a white veil. The middle of the children had red hair and sleep-deprived eyes. He radiated a murderous intent. He had a basket of sand on his back. The leftmost of the children was taller than the others. He was boy clad in black garments with a face tattooed for war and a bandle his size over one shoulder. Last of all was the girl, pretty with curly blonde hair and big tails. She held a metal fan on one shoulder.

'Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, I have a task for all of you.' said the Kazekage.

'What is it Father?' asked Temari, the girl.

'Bear in mind it is the most dangerous mission you have yet faced.' said the Kazekage. 'It considered S ranked. I will also be sending you without Baki for guidance.'

'Well, what else is new.' said Kankuro, the dark-clad one. 'What is it?'

'I want you to track down the Legendary Sannin Tsunade and take her prisoner.' said the Kazekage.

'Tsunade?' asked Temari.

'Wait, you want her alive?' asked Kankuro.

'Yes.' said the Kazekage.

'And you're assigning this mission to a team with Gaara?' asked Temari.

'Shut up.' said Gaara. 'Or I'll kill you.'

Temari flinched backward in fear. Gaara did not make idle threats. 'I… I was just kidding Gaara. I didn't; I didn't really mean it.'

'Enough.' said the Kazekage. 'Keep your squabbling out of my office. This mission is important. In exchange for our assistance, we have been given a promise of funding from several banks. It could be enough to keep the Sand Village from decaying.

'However, the mission is very specific. Tsunade and her assistant are to be taken alive, or the payment is forfeit.

'Gaara, if I find out that you murdered her or her assistant, the existence you are trying to justify will come to an end. Do you understand?'

Gaara remained silent. His murderous eyes stared down the Kazekage. The leader stood up. 'Do you understand?'

'Yes.' said Gaara.

'Good.' said the Kazekage. 'You set out at once. Now get out of my office.'

They departed. Only the grim-faced man in the shadows remained. The Kazekage looked up to him. 'You have something to say, Baki?'

'Yes.' said Baki. 'You should have sent me with them. It is very likely that the entire squad will lose their lives in this confrontation.'

'As long as Gaara dies, I don't care.' admitted the Kazekage.

'They are your children.' said Baki.

'I have many children, Baki.' snapped the Kazekage. 'I am perfectly willing to trade two of the sane ones to kill Gaara.'

'But-' began Baki.

'Look at my desk Baki.' said the Kazekage as he sat down. 'What do you see?'

'Papers.' said Baki, noting the stacks were very high.

'Right, and do you know what these papers are?' asked the Kazekage.

'No sir.' said Baki, wondering at his point.

'They are complaints.' said the Kazekage. 'Complaints about a slew of brutal, unprovoked, and horrific murders involving sand. Now, think Baki, if you had one guess, what would you say all these complaints have in common?'

'…Gaara.' guessed Baki.

'Yes! Gaara!' yelled the Kazekage. 'He is singlehandedly responsible for the financial crisis this village is going through! On his first D ranked mission, he massacred the entire family whose roof he was supposed to fix. Then he killed all their neighbors for good measure!

'I sent him on higher-ranked ones, and he always kills everyone he faces in battle. And who might face him in battle? And who might possibly consider getting near one of his battles at some point?

'Ever since Gaara became a ninja, he's ruined our reputation! The Lord of our Country has cut our funding because of him. He's started giving missions to the Leaf Village instead!'

'Then why don't you simply have Gaara killed?' asked Baki.

'Do you think I haven't tried that?' asked the Kazekage. 'I assigned Yashimaru to get rid of him. He got a perfect surprise attack. Even blew the building up. But it didn't stop Gaara.'

'Gaara is afraid of you for a reason.' said Baki. 'Perhaps you could kill him yourself.'

'Why do you think I sent him on this mission?' asked the Kazekage. 'There are three possibilities. Possibility 1: Gaara and co capture Tsunade and I get funding. Possibility 2: Gaara dies horribly. Possibility 3: He murders the Legendary Sannin Tsunade. So he finally does something outrageous enough for me to justify killing him.

'No matter what happens, I win.'

'Except if he could kill Tsunade, he could kill you.' noted Baki. 'And he probably knows it.'

The Kazekage realized he might have miscalculated. '…Oh.'

There was an attempt to catch up with the trio and bring them back. But it drew nothing up.

* * *

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara made their way into the Land of Vegetables. As they walked, Kankuro adjusted his bundle.

'Can't believe we're being sent against one of the Legendary Sannin.' he murmured. 'Hey, Temari, you know anything about this Tsunade chick?'

'Yes.' said Temari. 'She specializes in melee combat and from what I've read doesn't have much in the way of ranged firepower. Even so, she is a master at medical Jutsu and can even weaponize it.'

'Sounds like a perfect match up for you, eh Gaara?' said Kankuro.

'I'll kill her.' said Gaara in a voice seething with bloodlust.

'Um, Gaara, we were ordered not to kill her.' said Kankuro.

'Stop questioning me.' said Gaara. 'Or I'll kill you.'

'Right, okay.' said Kankuro.

'Um, listen, Gaara,' said Temari. 'I'm not questioning you or anything but um… do you really want your record to say you failed the mission? I mean, this is an S class mission. It could really help our careers if we complete it.'

'I don't care about careers.' said Gaara. 'All I care about is justifying our existence.'

'But, um, if we complete this S ranked mission successfully, um, Father will probably give us more.' said Temari in false cheer. 'You'll be able to justify your existence against a bunch of really strong guys.'

'I want to justify my existence now.' said Gaara.

'Okay, but, um, you know what they say about good things coming to those who wait?' asked Temari.

'I will justify my existence on this mission.' said Gaara. 'If you interfere with that, Mother will demand your blood.'

'Why don't um, why don't we kill a couple of random passerbys on the way?' asked Kankuro. 'That way, your mom can um, can be satisfied, and we can complete the mission.'

Gaara halted and turned around to look at Kankuro suspiciously. '…You will not interfere?'

'Nope.' said Kankuro, trying to control the fear in his voice.

'And I will justify my existence in whatever way I see fit?' asked Gaara.

'Yeah.' said Kankuro. 'Sure.'

'Fine.' said Gaara. Then he turned to walk towards a village in the distance.

'Are you insane Kankuro?' hissed Temari as they made their way into the village.

'What do want from me?' asked Kankuro. 'We have a mission, and we can't actually stop him. Gaara doesn't leave much behind. As long as he does his business in an isolated place, we won't have to- Where is he going?'

Gaara was walking toward a bar and grill with murderous intent. Temari had a bad feeling about this. 'Uh, Gaara, why are you heading for that bar?'

Gaara ignored her and entered it. He stared down at the various patrons. One of them looked up drunkenly. 'Hey, who the hell are you eyeshadow?'

'Shut up, you idiot.' cried a man, clapping a hand over his mouth. 'That's Gaara.'

'Who?' asked another.

'Haven't you heard?' asked the man. 'He's killed people just for looking at him. We've got to get out of here.' They attempted to slink out, only for a wave of sand to arise and swirl around Gaara, freezing them in place.

'No one is leaving.' said Gaara.

'Gaara, what are you doing?' asked Temari.

'I'm going to kill everyone inside.' said Gaara. 'As agreed.'

'Um, okay, uh, that's cool.' said Kankuro. 'You know what might be even cooler. If you killed one or two people in an isolated area.'

'Are you telling me how to justify my existence?' asked Gaara.

'No, no, I'm not Gaara!' cried Kankuro in horror. 'I'm just saying that maybe we can uh, hunt some poor sap through the forest! You know, like in a horror movie! That could be fun?'

'…Fun?' asked Gaara, voice almost contemplative.

'Yeah, you could um, like uh, go after them, and they run away.' said Temari. 'And maybe they think they've gotten away. And then just as they finally think the nightmare is over, you reappear and kill them painfully.'

'That does sound fun.' agreed Gaara, and the sands subsided.

Temari and Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief. The sensation of terror in the bar began to subside. Crisis averted. 'Right,' said Temari, 'so why don't we just find some random traveling merchant who no one will miss and-'

'Everyone in this room has had their moment of hope.' said Gaara.

The sands began to swirl again. It creeped toward the patrons who screamed in horror and fled for the back door. But the sand cut off their escape and began to close on them gradually.

'Please, Gaara!' screamed Temari. 'My career won't survive another massacre on my record!'

 **'MOTHER WANTS YOUR BLOOD!'** roared Gaara.

And then Gaara was punched in the face.

This was a great deal more unusual than it sounded. Gaara's sand always moved to protect him from any and all harm. Just getting past or through it requires either massive force or a vast amount of speed. And even after you got past the sand, there was his sand armor. That took a lot of chakra to repair, but which protected him very well.

This punch was both fast enough to strike him before the sand could respond. And strong enough to crack his sand armor. Gaara was sent spinning out of the bar to slam against the side of the building. He rose up for a moment, before collapsing to the ground.

He stood up a moment later.

Temari stared at the woman who had struck her. Obscenely well endowed, very beautiful, with blonde hair. It was their target, Tsunade.

'…Did she just punch out Gaara?' asked Kankuro.

'How did she get through the sand?' asked Temari.

'She completely shattered his sand armor.' said Kankuro. 'Any normal person would be out cold.'

Gaara arose as the woman walked forward, accompanied by her assistant. 'You… you're Tsunade, aren't you…'

'I'm surprised you're still standing kid.' mused Tsunade. 'Not many people get up after one of my punches.'

Gaara stood up, eyes gleaming. Then he summoned his sand again.

'Uh oh.' said Temari. Gaara had been taken off guard. It wouldn't happen again.

'Gaara wait!' said Kankuro. 'Remember we aren't supposed to kill her!'

'Die!' snarled Gaara, sending his sand forward.

Tsunade punched him in the face. Again. This time he went flying down a full block and crashed into a wall which cracked beneath the force of the blow.

'She did it again.' said Kankuro.

'Shouldn't we… help Gaara?' asked Temari.

'Help Gaara?' asked Kankuro. 'If Tsunade kills him, I'm going to join her fan club.'

'Kankuro, he's our brother!' said Temari.

'He's threatened to kill us fifty-three times this week.' said Kankuro. 'I've counted.'

Temari tried to think of an answer to that. '…He might not have meant it.'

'Seriously?' asked Kankuro.

While they had been talking, Gaara had been punched again. Tsunade was approaching him. Any minute now she'd kill him. He couldn't hold the sand armor forever. 'We have to help him!' said Temari, before leaping forward, drawing her fan.

Kankuro sighed as he watched Temari leaped over Tsunade and unleashed her winds upon her. Tsunade dodged aside with absolute ease. Well, in for a penny.

He unsheathed Crow. But as he set the bundle down, the assistant took her place in front of him. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 'A puppet master jutsu really?'

Her voice was dismissive.

'Don't act so cocky.' snapped Kankuro, summoning crow.

'I'm not cocky. I just uh…' the woman shrugged. 'I had no idea anyone was still using those.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Kankuro. 'The puppetmaster jutsu is an ancient technique of incredible power-'

'It's redundant.' said the woman. 'You spend years learning to control an inanimate object to fight for you. But the very act of using a puppet requires intense concentration. You can't do anything else while using it. In the end, you just make yourself a target. It's much more effective to learn to fight directly.'

'Yeah, but Crow has features no human has.' said Kankuro before activating Crow. 'Here's one now!'

A vast cloud of poison shot forth the puppet's mouth and swallowed the woman. Then she surged out of it. In seconds Crow was broken to pieces, and Kankuro found a hand as his neck.

'I've spent several years developing an immunity to that kind of poison.' said the woman. 'What I'm using now is a healing jutsu. Goodnight.'

Kankuro fell unconscious.

Temari got punched in the gut. Actually punched was probably the wrong word. Tsunade didn't seem to have put much effort into the strike. In fact, it was probably more akin to a love tap.

This was why Temari was kneeling on the ground, clutching her stomach and groaning in pain. If she had been bunched, she would probably have every bone in her body broken.

'This Tsunade is way more powerful than anything we've faced.' thought Temari. 'We need to get out of here now.'

'I'd advise you three to take your friend and leave.' snapped Tsunade. 'I'm not in the mood for this kind of showdown.'

Temari stood and looked to Gaara, who was struggling to stand. 'Gaara, we've got to go. We can make another attempt later.'

Instead, Gaara began a chant. His sand began to form around him in a way Temari had only seen once before. Though she had often seen it at the beginnings of her darkest nightmares. 'Gaara no! No, you're not supposed to use that here!'

The sand began to form around Gaara into a sphere, like an egg or a cocoon. And distantly, she could hear him, still chanting.

'What is he doing?' asked Tsunade.

'You've got to get the people out of here!' cried Temari. 'He's about to transform into the One-tailed Shukaku! If we don't get them out of here, everyone will be killed!'

'But he needs that cocoon of sand to do it, correct?' asked Tsunade.

'Yes,' said Temari with a nod, 'but nothing can break-'

Tsunade punched the sand cocoon. Her fist smashed right through it, and the force of the blow caused the entire thing to shatter. Gaara went out the other side, having been struck by an open palmed strike. He crashed into the wall and left a huge crater. He was bleeding all over.

As the sands subsided, Gaara collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

'Done. Your friend is unconscious.' said Tsunade. 'Now get out of here before I lose my temper.'

'Right.' said Temari. 'Thank you. Bye.'

She grabbed Gaara, ran to pick up Kankuro and Crow, and rushed off as quickly as possible. The villagers threw stones at them on their way out. One of them hit Temari in the face. She tried not to hold it against them.

* * *

Tsunade walked over to Shizune while stretching. 'Ugh, this whole thing has just been one annoyance after another Shizune! First, that Zabuza person comes after us and now that brat with the sand!'

'Well, if you didn't gamble so much, there probably wouldn't be a bounty on your head.' said Shizune.

'I need a drink.' muttered Tsunade. 'Maybe three.'

'I don't really think we have money to burn.' said Shizune. 'Not unless they give us them free.'

As they walked into the bar again, they were met with cheers. The owner nodded to them and poured two pints. 'Take it, ladies. It's on the house.'

'Perfect.' said Tsunade. 'We'd better take this opportunity.'

Thus began a day and a night, of drinking, telling stories, and gambling. Tsunade and Shizune were the heroes of the town, and everyone was buying them drinks. As a result, when they finally made their way out Shizune was a little tipsy, and Tsunade was a little more than that.

As they walked out onto the village streets, Shizune did her best to keep Tsunade on her feet. The blonde woman was red-cheeked and slurring her words. 'I'll tell you, Shizune, this is just the best… I uh… I lost my thought. We should go gambling!'

'Lady Tsunade, we really shouldn't be gambling.' said Shizune before breaking out laughing. Why? Why not? 'We've got enough problems with our… debts…'

Suddenly two senbon struck Shizune in the side of her neck, and she fell to the ground. Tsunade collapsed to her knees, touching her shoulders. 'Shizune, Shizune wake… wake up…'

Tsunade felt a presence and turned around to see Zabuza standing over her. She threw a punch, but her vision was swimming, and it went wide. Zabuza slammed a knee into her gut, causing her to keel over. Then he struck her over the back of the neck.

Tsunade's vision went black.

Zabuza looked at their defeated enemies as Haku appeared and began to tie them up. He crossed his arms. He was victorious, but it was not satisfying. 'Well, this was… easy.'

'They were distracted and drunk.' said Haku, tightening the ropes. 'We caught both of them off guard. Even the most lethal of shinobi can fall victim to a surprise attack, Master Zabuza.'

'Too true.' said Zabuza. 'This was pathetic.'

'You really wanted a rematch, didn't you?' asked Haku.

'Let's just report our success before they wake up.' said Zabuza.

'Hold it right there!' shouted a voice.

Zabuza looked up to see a great crowd of people now coming in closer to them.

'Leave them alone!' cried someone.

'This is shinobi business.' said Zabuza. 'I suggest you people mind your own business.'

'You're in our town, ninja!' said a man, hefting a club. 'Those two ladies saved the village and nobodies going to hurt them on our watch!'

This was problematic. Zabuza didn't like the idea of slaughtering an entire village. It would probably be fun in the short term, but it would put a permanent black mark on his record. 'I see. And you mean to stop us from completing our mission, then?'

'You bet we are!' cried another. 'You can't beat all of us!' Cheers of agreement came from the crowd.

'You are correct.' said Zabuza. 'If this entire town were to come after us all at once, we would both probably end up dead. But then, I'm no rookie. I'm a jonin. So I'm confident I could slaughter at least twenty of you if it comes to it. Haku, how many do you think you can take?'

'Ten at least.' said Haku.

'You don't scare us!' shouted a man.

There was a cheer.

'Clearly not.' said Zabuza. 'So who's first?'

There was dead silence.

'Oh come on.' said Zabuza. 'Surely, there are thirty brave souls in this little village. Thirty souls willing to die swift but excruciatingly painful deaths at my hand. Of course, your families will miss you. But the others will clamber over your maimed corpses to rescue two women you barely know.'

No one moved.

'Come on.' said Zabuza. 'Get over here and die. After all, if nobody is willing to come at us first, then nobody will come second. Or third. And then there won't be a mob anymore.'

The sense of enthusiasm had died. Zabuza smiled. 'Alright, well, if no one here is going to attack us, then maybe I should come at you first.' He put a hand to his sword.

The mob dispersed.

Zabuza and Haku escaped without further incident.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

Okay, I have a question.

Why the hell do Temari and Kankuro like Gaara? Look, I like Gaara as a character. I think he is cool. But in the entire time, Temari and Kankuro knew Gaara was a bloodthirsty monster. One who threatened to murder them over perceived slights and MEANT IT. It kind of made sense when it looked like the three of them were psychos for hire. But they seem to have dropped that aspect of their characters where I am in the show.

I mean, I guess if Temari and Kankuro had known Gaara before Yashimaru tried to kill him, it might make sense. But if Gaara had known Temari and Kankuro before Yashimaru tried to kill him, then he would have had other bonds. So he wouldn't have snapped. I can't see any reason they should not be trying to get reassigned or just plain quit being a ninja. If I were Temari or Kankuro and I was being chased through the woods by Sasuke, I'd just ditch Gaara. Put him out of my misery. There is no reason other than ties of blood to care about what happens to him. And ties of blood aren't enough given what a monster Gaara starts the series as.

As for my portrayal of the Kazekage, I make no apologies. I know he shows up in a later episode and is given a sympathetic portrayal or something, but the man is a monster. He abused Gaara and turned him into a monster. Then he put two of his other children on the same team as said monster. These are not the actions of a sympathetic character.


	3. Haku and Lee! A Battle of Wits!

**Chapter Three: Haku and Lee! A Battle of Wits!**

The Leaf Village was surrounded by forests, appropriately enough. Within the headquarters of the Hokage the Third Hokage, Sarutobi looked at paperwork. Eventually, a door was opened, and a man walked in. He was clad all in green spandex and wore a bowl cut of black hair with bushy eyebrows. He radiated an aura of absolute confidence as his students came in behind him.

'You called for us, Hokage?' said the man.

'Yes.' said Hiruzen. 'Might Guy, you and your students have demonstrated great teamwork in the past. And you have exceptional skill Truth be told I was surprised you didn't enter them into the Chunin Exams.'

'I felt it best if they get themselves a bit of youthful experience.' said Might Guy.

'Well whatever the case, I have a C ranked mission for them.' said Hiruzen.

'Alright!' said one of Guy's students, who looked like a younger version of him, complete with the same spandex. 'We'll show the world the spirit of our youthful vigor!'

'Calm yourself, Lee.' said Guy. 'We do not even know what our assignment is.'

'Yeah, let's not get ahead of ourselves.' said a brown-haired girl in pink. 'No reason to get too excited.'

'You are to track down the Legendary Sannin Tsunade-' Began Hiruzen.

'The Lady Tsunade! Oh my god, this is so great!' said Tenten. 'This is the greatest moment of my life! I've wanted to meet her for years, and now I'm finally getting my chance!'

Hiruzen smiled. 'I am pleased you are enthusiastic. However, this mission is not without risks. I have reason to believe that a banking conglomerate intends her harm. They have hired some rogue ninja to take her captive in retribution for gambling debts.'

'But Tsunade is one of the greatest medical specialists in the world!' said Tenten. 'She invented healing jutsu that no one ever thought possible! And nobody could beat her in a fight, except maybe the other Sannin or you!'

'Tenten, I'm glad to see you in the full spirit of youth, but I should be the one doing the talking.' said Guy.

'Oh right, sorry sensei.' said Tenten.

'I want your team to find Tsunade and give her this letter.' said Hiruzen, drawing out a folded sheet of paper with his seal on it. 'I hope that she will return to the Leaf Village. In exchange for her services, I am offering her assistance in paying off her debts.'

'A righteous cause if ever there was one.' said Guy. 'Come on, students! We'll bring back Lady Tsunade with the power of our youthful vigor!'

'I'm finally getting to meet Lady Tsunade!' said Tenten. 'This is the greatest thing that has ever happened! Did I ever tell you she's the entire reason I became a ninja in the first place?'

The third member of the ground was a long brown-haired boy with pupilless eyes that now narrowed. He wore all white and black shorts. 'Yes. Quite frequently.'

That had been nearly a week ago. Since then they had been jumping from town to town, gradually honing in on the location of the Lady Tsunade. Tenten couldn't wait to meet her. This was going to be so great.

They came to the village they knew she had been heading for.

'Is this the place?' asked Neji.

'Yes, this is the last known location where the Lady Tsunade was seen headed.' said Guy. 'Come on students, break up and look for clues.'

Tenten and Neji quickly realized that ninja had been here recently. Several buildings were damaged, and there were signs of battle everywhere. Also sand. 'What happened here?' asked Tenten, 'It looks like a hurricane hit the place?'

'I don't know.' said Neji. 'Excuse me, what did all this damage to the buildings?'

'A Sand Ninja by the name of Gaara.' said a villager. 'He came here to kill everyone, but the Lady Tsunade stopped him right in his tracks.'

'The Lady Tsunade is here?' asked Tenten. 'Where can I find her?'

'Not anymore.' said the villager. 'She was captured by some rogue ninja. They caught her and her bodyguard while they were drunk. We tried to stop them, but we're no match for ninja.'

'You should not have been so foolish.' said Neji. 'No one of your destiny could never hope to contend with a ninja.'

'What is that supposed to mean?' asked the villager.

'Nothing!' said Tenten before Neji could go on another rant. 'Which way did they head?'

'East, into the swamp.' said the villager.

'Damn it.' said Tenten. 'Neji, let's find Lee and Guy-sensei. We've got to tell them quickly.'

Guy sensei heard the news with remarkable poise. He rubbed his chin and looked thoughtfully up to the sky above. 'So, the Lady Tsunade has been captured has she? Well, it seems the situation has changed. We'll just have to do the only youthful thing and go to her rescue, won't we?'

'That's right, Guy-sensei!' said Lee. 'We'll show them the power of youth! And everyone will see that I'm a splendid ninja!'

'Whoever these people were, they would have to be formidable.' said Neji. 'To have defeated Tsunade.'

'Maybe so, Neji. But we've got to try.' said Tenten. 'We can't leave Lady Tsunade to die!'

'Quite right, Tenten. Let's go!' said Guy.

And they rushed off as quickly as they could.

Thirty minutes later they were leaping from tree to tree is a forested wetland. The ground beneath their feet had many pools of water in it. If they were facing Mist Ninja, it was ripe for an ambush. Neji scanned the trees with his Byakugan.

Then he saw them. The first was a tall, tan ninja with a huge sword. He was carrying a blonde woman and a dark-haired woman over one shoulder. However, he halted suddenly and set them down. As if waiting. A female wearing a mask and clad in bright colors was with him.

'Guy-sensei, the enemy is ahead.' said Neji. 'However, they appear to have stopped.'

'So much the better.' said Guy. 'We'll have to chance to use the youthful poses I taught you.'

'Guy-sensei,' said Neji, 'this seems neither the time or place!' He wasn't doing it. He was not.

'On the contrary Neji.' said Guy, 'A true ninja makes his own time and place.'

'But-'

'No more words.' said Guy. 'The time has come for action!'

Then they surged through the trees. Guy descended on the tan man and swung his fist. But the rogue ninja backflipped out of the way before kicking off a tree. He brought down his sword, but Guy sensei moved away, before taking a stance. Then he struck a pose with his arms crossed in front of him. 'The youthful vigor of the Leaf Village cries out for justice! We're here to stop your evil ways and rescue the Lady Tsunade!'

'…I can see that.' said the ninja.

So it began.

Rock Lee suddenly landed in front of Guy-sensei. 'I'm Rock Lee! A genius of hard work! My speed cannot be matched!' And he raised a fist skyward.

'And I'm Tenten, the master of projectiles!' said Tenten, landing from above while spinning two kunai in her hands and striking a pose. 'There's no target I can't hit!'

Neji landed and said absolutely nothing. Tenten looked at him. 'Neji that was your moment.'

'I'm not doing it.' said Neji.

'Neji, we talked about this.' said Tenten.

'Lee and Guy-sensei talked at me.' Neji corrected her. 'I refused.'

'Come on, we did all that work with the poses!' said Tenten.

'Guy sensei may choose to instruct us however he wishes.' said Neji. 'However, I have no obligation to use his techniques if I deem them unfit for battle, which I do. It's beneath my dignity to engage in such pedestrian entertainments.'

'Please!' said Tenten.

'I will have no part in this ludicrous sentai parody of yours, Tenten.' cried Neji, slashing one hand through the air for emphasis. 'I am Neji Hyuga, a genius of my clan. I mastered the Byakugan before anyone else in the Hyuga's history. Although I am part of the branch family, I wield arts restricted to the main family purely by observation!

'And I will not drag my dignity for the sake of such childish nonsense!'

'Good enough.' said Tenten.

What did she mean by-

'We are Team 9!' cried Rock Lee and Tenten.

Neji realized that in his attempt to reject this foolish sentai parody, he had participated in it. '…Damn it.'

The rogue ninja remained silent. Then he sheathed his sword. 'We're leaving Haku.'

'But what about the mission?' asked the girl.

'It isn't worth it.' said the rogue ninja. 'Might Guy was ranked very high in the bingo book. I refuse for it to be said that I died fighting this spandex-wearing idiot. Especially since he has the advantage in numbers.'

Wait, had Guy sensei's bad fashion and absurd ideas actually worked? Neji never thought that making one's opponents too embarrassed to fight could work.

It still wasn't worth it.

'Then allow me to fight in your stead.' said Haku quickly.

Zabuza halted.

'You are brave to stand against us.' said Might Guy. 'But no rogue ninja, however youthful, could possibly defeat all four of us.'

'Then let us make it a challenge.' said the girl. 'I will face each of your three students in single combat. When I have defeated all three, or one of them has defeated me, then we shall let the victor take the prisoners.'

'A youthful idea if ever there was one!' said Might Guy. 'Lee step forward!'

'You're joking. Sensei, we have the advantage in numbers.' said Neji. 'We should just attack them all out.'

'Nonsense Neji!' said Guy. 'One on one battles are the true essence of youthful spirit!'

'So be it.' said the girl. 'My name is Haku.'

Lee leaped forward. 'I am Rock Lee! And I will prove beyond a doubt that I am a splendid Ninja!'

'Then let us begin.' said Haku, drawing out two senbon.

Suddenly Haku surged forward like a whirlwind. But Lee was just as fast, and they met head-on. There was a flurry of punches and kicks, and then Lee had gotten behind Haku. The girl leaped over him, only narrowly avoiding his strike.

Using a jutsu, Haku summoned hundreds of water needles which shot toward Lee. But the young ninja evaded them all with ease, before surging toward Haku and swinging at her. Haku narrowly stepped aside from a knock out punch, and they separated.

'He's fast.' mused Tenten. 'Not many people can keep up with Lee.'

'You are indeed a formidable ninja.' said Lee. 'However, I was trained by the great Guy-sensei! An unparalleled teacher!'

'I was taught by the Demon of the Hidden Mist.' said Haku. 'And just because I can't match you in strength and speed doesn't mean I have lost.

'Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!'

Dozens of mirrors arose from the ground and surrounded Lee. Haku phased into one of them. The splendid ninja looked around. 'So, I cannot see which one you are. Well, it doesn't matter! I will smash every mirror! Then you will no longer be able to hide from me!'

And he punched a mirror. It didn't even crack, and a senbon shot toward Lee. The splendid ninja moved but got it to the shoulder.

'You may find that more difficult than you think.' said Haku.

So it went. Lee would dodge and weave but could not attack. Yet Haku did not have the same luck with the senbon. Lee was able to avoid them again and again. Yet he couldn't keep this up forever.

'Hmm, this looks bad.' said Guy. 'Lee can't counter those mirrors without ninjutsu or genjutsu. Lee, take em off!'

'What?' said Lee. 'But Guy sensei you told me never to remove my leg weights unless someone special to me was threatened.'

'Maybe so,' said Guy, 'but this mission is important. The Leaf Village is counting on us to bring back Tsunade.'

'Very well.' said Rock Lee, and he took off his leg warmers.

'Training weights?' asked Haku.

Before Lee could remove them, Haku hurled several senbon at him. He was forced to dodge. As he tried again, she attacked again. 'Hey! That isn't fair!' said Lee.

'If removing your weights may give you a chance of victory, then I see no reason why I should give you time to do so.' said Haku.

'That is most unyouthful.' said Lee disapprovingly.

'It is the way of the ninja to use every advantage one can get.' said Haku.

So it continued.

'Let me take off my weights!' cried Lee.

'Instead, why don't you give up?' asked Haku. 'You cannot dodge forever.'

'No, I am Rock Lee!' said Rock Lee. 'And I will never give up!'

'Knowing when to quit when you are ahead is a virtue.' said Haku.

'Maybe so, but I've never been ahead. So I can never give up, no matter what!' said Rock Lee. 'You should quit instead. Sooner or later I'll get these weights off.'

'…Well if neither one of us is willing to give up then we are at an impasse.' said Haku.

'It seems so.' mused Lee. 'I cannot harm you behind your crystal ice mirrors. But you cannot compete with the power of youth!'

'I've already used my trump card.' mused Haku. 'And since you haven't used any, I doubt you have any ninjutsu or genjutsu which can be used against me.'

'You are perceptive.' said Rock Lee. 'Perhaps we should settle our match in a less traditional method.'

'What do you have in mind?' asked Haku.

'I challenge you to a game.' said Rock Lee.

'A game?' asked Haku.

'Guy sensei and his ultimate rival often compete in games against one another! It is done when fighting is inconvenient!' said Rock Lee. 'Name any game, no matter how complex, and I, Rock Lee, shall defeat you at it!'

'…So be it.' said Haku. 'I challenge you to a battle of guile.'

'A battle of guile?' said Rock Lee. 'I will take you on!'

'I'll get ready to tag in.' said Tenten in resignation.

The crystal mirrors faded. Haku reappeared and drew out a containment scroll and summoned the contents. There was a huge explosion of smoke which covered the entire area. Then Haku was standing there and in front of her was a table. It was covered with a checkered red and white tablecloth. On it was a jug and several cups.

'What is she playing at?' wondered Neji.

'Sit down and pour the fruit juice.' said Haku as she fell to a kneel.

'I do not understand.' said Lee, but he complied.

Haku drew out a vial and opened it before offering it to Lee. 'Inhale this but don't touch it. You will lose if you do."

Lee smelled it. 'I do not smell anything.'

'What you aren't smelling is a powerful sedative created by the Sound Village.' said Haku. 'It is undetectable by almost all traditional means of vision. And it can instantly render someone unconscious.' Then she took the cups into her hands and turned her back to them. After a moment she turned back and set them down. The vial was empty. 'Now where is the poison. The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you make a decision on which to drink, and I will drink the other. Only one of us will emerge conscious.'

'Lee, don't be fooled!' said Neji. 'The poison is-'

'Quiet Neji.' said Guy-sensei. 'This is Lee's battle to fight.'

'But it's so obvious.' said Neji. 'Surely victory is preferable to-'

'If Lee doesn't lose this fight, I won't get a chance to show off in front of Lady Tsunade.' said Tenten. 'Don't take this from me.'

'Tenten, in a few minutes, you and Lee are going to be unconscious, and I will once again be carrying this entire team.' said Neji. 'Do you know why? Because of nonsense like this!'

Lee had been thinking. 'It is a complex problem you set before me. How am I to know which one truly has the poison, and which one doesn't? Oh, Guy-sensei, what would you do in this situation!'

'I'm sorry Lee, but this is your battle to fight.' said Guy-sensei. 'You must divine from what you know of your enemy the truth. You need to know how your enemy thinks to defeat them.'

'Yes! I see now!' said Lee. 'It is so clear! I swear Guy sensei I will make you proud!'

'You seem to have a good relationship with your sensei.' said Haku.

'Don't you?' asked Lee.

'I am not Zabuza's student.' said Haku. 'I am his weapon — an extension of his will. I live for him. He honed me from nothingness and he is my purpose for living.'

'But you are your own person.' said Rock Lee.

'It is my choice to make.' said Haku. 'Now make yours.'

Rock Lee remained silent and eyed the cups. 'Hmm. Now let me think. You might have put the poison into my goblet. But I'd know not to take that. But then you might have known that I was not a fool; so you could have put it into your own goblet rather than mine.

'But you would have known I wasn't that dumb. So you wouldn't have put in mine either.'

'Have you made your decision?' asked Haku.

'I… well… um…' Rock Lee paused.

Haku drew out a pen and a pad of paper and offered them to him. 'Would you care for some pen and paper to write this down?'

'Yes, thank you.' said Lee, taking it. Setting his arms down on the tablecloth, he began to scratch out notes while Haku watched. 'Let me see…'

'Think Lee. Think.' thought Lee. 'Guy-sensei said that I had to know how this girl would react. But how can I know her? Let me think about her fighting style. As soon as she realized she couldn't defeat me in direct combat, she used her crystal ice mirrors.

'Then, when she realizes I was about to get serious, she stopped me from using my weights. That means she isn't interested in a fair fight at all. But this is a fair match. I saw her put the poison into one of the goblets.

'I need a clue. Maybe if I could switch the glasses without her noticing… Yes! If I switch the glasses and I pick the one she thinks has the poison in it, she'll drink calmly. But if I pick the one she thinks is clean, she'll refuse to drink it.

'But how am I to get her eyes off the cups? Whatever it is, I must be swift.'

'What is that over there!' cried Lee, pointing behind Haku.

'What am I thinking?' thought Lee. 'Such a weak trap would never…'

'What, where?' Haku looked back.

'She is looking away.' said Rock Lee. 'This is my chance.'

With lightning speed, he grasped the cups and switched them. Haku kept looking the other way.

'I don't see anything?' said Haku.

'Wait, she has been looking away for a while. Like she was waiting for me to pull something. But why would she be waiting unless…'

'Of course!' said Rock Lee. 'I've solved your riddle! The poison is in both cups!'

Haku looked back. 'What makes you so sure?'

'You're a smart person.' said Rock Lee. 'Using something like the oldest trick in the book to distract you would never work. Unless you had made it so you would win no matter which cup I picked, you probably have a special immunity to it don't you?'

Neji blinked. 'Unbelievable. He figured it out.'

'Huh?' said Tenten.

'The battle of wits is a game of deception.' said Neji. 'Like a shell game, it presents the possibility of a victory by the one who plays the game. But why should the person making the game give them a fair chance when they could provide them with no chance at all?

'The battle is won not when the one playing it makes a choice, but when he chooses to sit down at the table.'

'Yes! I won!' cried Lee arising.

'Lee, I'm so proud of you!' said Guy, running to him as a dramatic sunset and ocean replaced the forest. 'You've proven today that you can use your mind as well as your body! You are a splendid ninja!'

'You were right. ' said Haku. 'The poison was in both cups.' She looked up. 'It was also on the tablecloth.'

Rock Lee collapsed into unconsciousness as Haku unsummoned the table.

'Lee?!' said Guy.

'I slathered the tablecloth in another kind of sedative that can be absorbed by the skin.' said Haku. 'The moment he put his hands on the table, he had already lost to me.'

Neji realized that he hadn't seen it coming. Even if he'd warned Lee, the boy still would have lost. 'Brilliant.'

'So, who do I face next?' asked Haku.

The first battle had concluded. Lee was defeated.

* * *

Authors Note:

I kept this chapter in reserve for a bit while I figured out if I wanted to post it. Eventually, I decided to go ahead. Enjoy.


	4. Misdirection! Neji's plan!

**Chapter Four: Misdirection! Neji's plan!**

A dead silence followed. Neji looked at Haku, then Zabuza who was looking at Haku, then Tsunade and Shizune lying still on the ground. Then he had an idea.

'Well students,' said Guy, 'you heard her. Which one of you will avenge Lee's loss?'

'We will discuss who will face you next.' said Neji. 'Guy-sensei, please, give us a moment.' Then he took Tenten aside. 'Listen to me, Tenten; our situation is grave. Haku is a formidable opponent for any of us, and she has manipulated us into fighting her one on one. At this rate, it is possible that all of us could be defeated.'

'You mean you don't think you can win?' said Tenten in surprise.

'No, I'm confident I can beat Haku.' said Neji. 'However, we should not bank the entire mission on that. You were always the best at stealth out of all of us. I want you to find an excuse to leave and free both Tsunade and Shizune.'

'What if Zabuza notices?' asked Tenten.

'Zabuza is totally focused on the fight.' said Neji. 'When you free them, lead them out of here. We'll meet up later.'

'Couldn't Tsunade help us?' asked Tenten.

'She's probably been dosed with powerful sedatives.' said Neji. 'It is the only way they could have held her captive in those ropes.'

'Right.' said Tenten.

Neji walked forward toward Haku, tensing himself for as the girl held her position. She seemed to be eyeing him carefully. 'So you will be the next to face me then.'

'Yes.' said Neji. 'You won't find me as easily outwitted as Lee.'

'That remains to be seen.' said Haku.

Neji charged toward Haku, and the girl moved quickly away. They ducked and weaved and struck, and Neji found that she had the advantage. Eventually, Haku leaped away in a whirl.

'Haku is careful.' said Zabuza. 'That boy is a Hyuga. Keep your distance.'

Haku drew out many senbon and hurled them at Neji. But Neji batted them with ease before going on the attack. Haku narrowly avoided a strike to the chest as she ducked.

'You're fast.' said Neji. 'But not as fast as Lee.'

Haku surged toward him, creating many water clones around her. Neji batted them aside, dodged her surprise attack and nearly got her in the face with one hand. Several more surprise attacks were attempted, but none found their mark.

'I see.' said Haku. 'You can sense me no matter where I'm coming from.'

'My Byakugan allows me to have 360 degrees vision.' said Neji. 'It doesn't matter which direction you attack from or what you do. I can block it.'

'We'll see about that.' said Haku, before making incantation with her hand. 'Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!'

The mirrors arose around Neji. He looked around, activating his Byakugan to see the reflections. And he saw the real Haku. 'Fool.'

Surging forward, he struck the ice mirror with his fist. The effect shot into the mirror and Haku was thrown out. Her organs would be broken. Then suddenly she exploded into water.

'I see.' said Neji. 'You created many water clones with an equal amount of your chakra. Your plan is to confuse my sight. But all I have to do is find the real one.'

He dodged and weaved away from dozens of senbon with ease. He could sense them coming with ease. As he did, he scanned for the reflections with chakra. And he saw one, one hanging back from the combat. He surged toward it and struck.

But Haku melted out of it.

Haku was having trouble. This Neji was very fast, and he could predict her every attack. The last one had nearly been her end. And nothing she threw at him got through. She'd need to use something stronger.

She and all her closed emerged from the mirrors and made hand signs. 'Water style: Water dragon jutsu!'

A dragon emerged from the water in the air and surged toward Neji. It coiled around him before surging in for the kill. Yet as it came, he took a stance.

'Kaiten!' he cried.

He spun around at a rapid pace. Chakra was kicked up, and the water dragon was thrown back. Haku hardly got out of the water, and her ice mirrors shattered. There was an onslaught stronger than what she had thrown.

She landed on a tree branch as the water cleared. On the ground around Neji was a crater created by his technique. 'I see.' she said. 'You spin round and reflect any attack sent your way back at you with double the force. Very impressive. However, you lack any ranged abilities.' She leaped backward and landed on the nearby marsh. 'You won't be able to face me here on the water.'

'Water walking?' scoffed Neji. 'I learned that years ago.'

Then he rushed forward. He ran across the marshy water, and Haku was forced on the defensive. She dodged and weaved. 'He's good.' she thought. 'His chakra control is amazing.'

Then she had an idea. She separated from Neji and summoned water clones. Making the hand signs again she hoped this would work. 'Water style: Water dragon jutsu!'

Once again, the water dragon arose and surged at Neji. He smirked. 'Haven't you realized it's hopeless! Kaiten!'

Once again, he spun around and promptly was sent falling into the water. The water dragon smashed into him, and he was sent spinning away to crash into a nearby tree.

'Neji!' cried Guy.

Haku walked forward toward him. 'On the contrary. The victory was mine the moment you joined me on the water.' she said. 'Water walking takes a great deal of skill. That is why teaching it is an essential step in every novice ninja's path to controlling their chakra. It takes great skill to stand and walk on water.

'Your technique is powerful. But it puts an immense strain on the ground beneath your feet.'

Neji smiled.

'…Why are you smiling?' asked Haku.

'Because I… know something you don't.' gasped Neji. 'Look to your hostages.'

Haku looked up in alarm and gasped. '…What? Master Zabuza!'

Zabuza looked to where Tsunade and Shizune and their pig had been bound. They were gone. Their ropes were cut. 'Impossible, how could someone have pulled them out without my notice?'

'You underestimated us.' said Guy with a smirk. 'You assumed that just because we are overflowing with the power of youth that we were incapable of guile. But we wouldn't be much of a team if all we could do was fight one on one battles would we?!'

'It must have been that brown-haired girl,' hissed Zabuza. 'Haku, take care of her. I'll deal with the spandex-wearing idiot.' And he drew his sword.

'Yes, Master Zabuza.' said Haku.

Then she rushed away.

* * *

This was the best day ever. Tenten had gotten to rescue her personal hero. Sure they were running for their lives, and Tsunade had to be carried but still. It was all she could do not to squee.

'So you're from the Leaf Village?' said Shizune as they leaped through the trees.

'Yes,' said Tenten. 'Um… I uh…'

'Tell us later. We need to keep moving.' said Shizune. 'Lady Tsunade is under the influence of heavy sedatives. I'm barely moving.'

'Ugh…' groaned Tsunade.

'Lady Tsunade you're awake.' said Tenten.

'Yes. But I don't think I can fight.' said Tsunade. 'I have a hangover, and someone has drugged me.' She looked up. 'Who are you?'

'Oh um, I'm Tenten of the Leaf Village. I'm here to rescue you!' said Tenten.

'Aren't you a little young for ANBU black ops?' asked Tsunade.

'Well um, actually we were just sent to deliver a message from the Hokage.' admitted Tenten. 'But we found out you'd been kidnapped and we came to rescue you.'

'Well, thanks, I guess. This doesn't usually happen.' said Tsunade. 'It wouldn't have happened, but I'd just finished fighting off three Sand Ninja when he jumped me. And I was drunk. Shizune from now on one of us is going to have to be sober at all times.'

'Yes, Lady Tsunade.' said Shizune. 'I… I need to rest a bit.' She halted and set Tsunade down. The blonde Sannin pulled herself up to lean against a tree while Shizune panted.

'What do we do now?' asked Tenten. 'Neji and Sensei are fighting Zabuza. They could use your help.'

'I can barely move.' admitted Tsunade. 'I'm using medical jutsu to speed my recovery, but I'll need time. Shizune can you help her?'

'I uh… all my equipment is gone, Lady Tsunade.' said Shizune. 'Still, I suppose I could-'

And then two senbon shot into her neck and she collapsed. Was she dead?

'Shizune!' cried Tenten before looking up to see Haku crouched on a tree branch. 'What kind of ninja attacks someone while their guard is down?'

'I wouldn't know.' admitted Haku in deadpan.

'She's still alive.' said Tsunade. 'Just unconscious. She hit her pressure points.'

'Could this girl have beaten Neji?' wondered Tenten.

'Now I suggest that you run.' said Haku. 'I have no desire to kill you.'

Any other day Tenten would have considered it. But she was in front of her idol. She could handle this. 'Don't worry Lady Tsunade. I'll take care of this.'

'So be it.' said Haku.

Haku hurled a flurry of senbon, but Tenten unleashed a flurry of her own projectiles to knock them out of the air. Haku blinked. 'You shot my senbon out of the air?'

'I can do more than that.' said Tenten, spinning a kunai on one finger.

Both sprang towards each other, hurling missiles. Dozens of shurikens were hurled in moments to match an equal number of senbon. They passed each other, and Tenten struck with a kunai, only to have it deflected. She landed on the branch and unleashed another flurry which Haku knocked from the air.

'You are very skilled at the use of missiles!' said Haku.

'So are you!' cried Tenten as she leaped over her and hurled a kunai. Haku rolled away and returned the favor with one of her own. She landed behind Haku and saw her making signs. Around her, hundreds of water needles formed and descended on her.

Tenten unleashed a scroll, and a whirlwind of blades deflected the needles. The blades slashed through tree branches and impaled themselves in the trunks. Sticks and leaves fell like rain.

Haku stopped. 'I'm out of senbon.' she said. 'I'll have to use something less precise!' And she grasped kunai from the trees and hurled them. Tenten dodged and hurled her own weapons. Then Haku was behind her making jutsu signs.

'Crystal ice-'

Tenten hurled a wire from her belt which gripped Haku around the waist. 'What?'

'Same old trick?' asked Tenten. 'Well guess what, it doesn't matter. Now that I've got a direct connection to you, I can know where you are at all times!' She hurled a knife which Haku caught.

'True.' said Haku. 'But you'll also have to follow me.' She made a sign. 'Water breathing jutsu!'

Then she leaped backward toward the water. Tenten followed, but to her surprise, Haku did not stop herself and plunged into the swampy water. Tenten set her feet against the water and used her water walking jutsu to keep herself upright. But with Haku pulling on her it was nearly impossible to stay up.

'If she drags me under I'm finished.' said Tenten. 'Try this!'

And she hurled shuriken into the water. Yet the wire moved, and she fell to her knees. Grabbing the wire Tenten pulled it up. She knew it was only a matter of time before she went under. Drawing out a special kunai with cloth symbols on it, she activated it and threw it in.

Then Tenten was dragged in. Haku was on top of her as she plunged into the water.

'Water prison jutsu!' said Haku.

And suddenly Tenten was drawn out of the water and surrounded in a sphere of the stuff. She could feel her energy being sapped from her through it. Haku had a hand on it. She tried to struggle, but there was nothing she could do.

'This is the end.' said Haku. 'I just have to keep you in this until your chakra is drained and you fall unconscious. I won't kill you, however.' Tenten smiled and pointed to the ground. 'Why are you pointing downward-'

Beneath Haku's feet, there was an explosion that disrupted the water beneath them. Haku plunged into the water as the water prison faded. Tenten leaped out and backflipped across the water to land by Tsunade. She tried to draw more shuriken, but she was out.

'That was close.' she said. 'If she hadn't used that water prison I'd be dead.'

Haku emerged from the water, dripping wet. The wire around her waist snap, and she was panting heavily beneath her mask. Tenten smirked. 'You can barely stand. Not in great shape, are you?'

'Why are you shaking?' asked Haku mildly.

Tenten realized she was shaking. Her entire body was numb with exertion. She'd just been so caught up in the heat of the moment she hadn't noticed.

'…You've run out of projectiles,' said Haku.

'You think I'm out of weapons?' asked Tenten. 'I haven't even gotten started!' She drew out a scroll and summoned weapons. She hurled them at Haku who leaped over the wave. Yet as Haku landed, Tenten pulled the wires. Her weapons came back toward Haku.

'What?!' said Haku.

'Now you are out.' said Tenten.

'They're attached by wires?!' realized Haku.

'Yeah.' said Tenten. 'And you've got nowhere to run.'

'That remains to be seen.' noted Haku.

As the weapons closed in around her, Haku leaped over them. Tenten followed her, but Haku was moving with blind speed. 'She's fast. But all I've got to do is wear her down.'

Haku dodged and weaved, and Tenten followed wherever she went. And then, suddenly, just as Tenten thought she had her, she found herself bound in place. Her arms were trapped against her sides, and her legs were trapped together. Her weapons had fallen around her. 'What?!'

Haku appeared before her. 'Having all those wires attached to you is a double-edged sword. Just as you can use them to attack your opponent, they can also be used to entangle you. You can't move a muscle.'

Tenten thought quickly. 'Transformation jutsu!'

Instantly Tenten took on the form of one of her scattered weapons. Haku looked around hands in a defensive posture. 'What? Where did she go?'

Haku stepped forward into range. Tenten broke her transformation and struck Haku with an uppercut. It sent her flying into the air five feet. Then she fell back to land with a crash.

'Got ya!' cried Tenten. 'Did you see that Lady Tsunade! I totally beat her!'

She looked up and saw that there were several daggers sticking out of the wood near Tsunade's head. 'Yes, you certainly did. Some of those tricks were very creative. Particularly when you turned into a weapon.'

'T-thank you!' said Tenten, blushing with embarrassment.

'Touching.' said a low voice from the woods. 'Kin, Zaku, try to make her end as quick as possible. We have a schedule to keep.'

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

So Tenten just beat an opponent who defeated both Lee and Neji. Pretty good day for her so far. And all of the abilities she used were part of the basic ninja skill set. I'm pretty proud of her use of transformation Jutsu.


	5. The Sound of Battle! Zabuza Vs Guy!

**Chapter Five: The Sound of Battle! Zabuza Vs. Guy!**

Zabuza and Guy clashed kunai against sword. They dodged and weaved back and forth, their blades slashing. Eventually, there came a pause in the fighting as Zabuza slid backward. 'I'll admit, you're far more skilled than you let on.'

'You'll find that the power of my youth is more than a match for anything a rogue ninja can throw at me.' said Guy.

'I don't have to throw things at you,' shot back Zabuza. 'You've been attacking in melee even when ranged would have served better. You don't have any abilities outside of the pure physical, do you?' Then he summoned his power. 'Water dragon jutsu.'

A wave of water in the shape of a dragon surged forward toward Guy. Guy leaped over it, but it followed. Then he kicked off and landed on a branch, the dragon still pursuing. 'I may not have much natural affinity for genjutsu or ninjutsu. But a wise ninja always works to improve his weaknesses. With enough hard work, I was able to gain a passing knowledge. Combined with my immense physical power, a little genjutsu and ninjutsu go a long way.

'For instance;'

Zabuza froze as he sensed something behind him. He ducked just in time to avoid a blade to the neck. Guy was behind him. He swung his sword around, and Guy leaped over it, before slamming the blade into the ground with one leg. 'You were so set on me talking at you didn't notice this wasn't me at all.' Then he drove the blade through Zabuza's throat. 'It's over.'

Yet Zabuza bled water. Guy's eyes widened. 'A water clone?'

'You've left yourself wide open.' said Zabuza behind him.

Guy turned around faster than Zabuza could strike. Yet he only cut through another water clone. Several other clones went after him. Soon the battle moved onto the lake, and Guy slashed down all of them.

'You're making an awful lot of clones for someone this confident.' said Guy. 'You must be hoping to take me off guard by sheer numbers.

'But I'm a ninja of hard work. And my youthful spirit won't be so easily doomed.'

'Would you just shut up already.' said Zabuza as he appeared. 'Water prison jutsu!'

'What?' said Guy. 'Impossible! There is no water-'

Before he could finish, the water formed around him and trapped him in place.

'There is.' said Zabuza. 'When you destroyed all those water clones, you filled the air with water droplets. Gathering those together, I was able to converge them to seal you away. Now I only need to drain the rest of your chakra.'

'You think it will be that easy, huh?' asked Guy within the sphere of water. 'Sorry to disappointed. But my youthful exuberance cannot be contained!'

Then he began to vibrate. Energy came from Guy, and the water of the prison started to vibrate. 'What is this…' began Zabuza.

'Gate 1: Gate of Opening.' said Guy.

Zabuza found it was taking more concentration to hold the water sphere. He narrowed his eyes. 'An impressive technique, but the water prison jutsu can't be disrupted by-'

'Gate 2: Gate of Healing!' said Guy.

More and more power poured from Guy. Zabuza was forced to use both hands to hold the sphere in place. He braced himself as chakra surged from the sphere.

'This can't…' He began.

'Gate 3: Gate of Life!' roared Guy.

It was all Zabuza could do to keep the sphere from falling to pieces. The water was washing around his palms. He was forced to put more and more chakra into the sphere to keep it from falling. 'I can't… hold it…'

'Gate 4: Gate of Limit!' cried Guy.

Zabuza leaped backward just in time for the sphere to explode. Guy surged out of it, and Zabuza raised his sword to blocked the incoming punch. It slammed against his sword, and the flat of the blade crashed against Zabuza's chest. He was sent flying backward toward a tree. He managed to adjust his position in time to land on the tree, but Guy was coming toward him.

Zabuza swung his sword, but Guy ducked under it and dealt him an uppercut. Zabuza moved just in time and took only a glancing blow.

It was enough. He lost his grip on his sword and was sent flying upwards.

'If I don't stop him, I'm dead.' thought Zabuza.

Zabuza turned around in midair as Guy surged toward him faster than he could imagine. Kicking off a tree branch, he took another glancing blow to the arm. Pain surged through him as he fell down into the water.

Perfect.

Guy came after him, rushing through the murky water. However, he was slowed by the marsh. Zabuza smiled. He didn't try to dodge this time. Instead, he summoned his chakra. 'Water dragon jutsu!'

A massive water dragon emerged and surged toward Guy as he charged. Guy was hit head-on. With one fist, he punched it. His fist sliced through the entire creature, surging forward toward Zabuza. This time Zabuza was hit head-on.

The blow to his stomach sent him falling downwards to crash against the floor of the marsh. He felt his bones groan beneath the pressure of the strike. Guy came toward him, but as he came down, Zabuza brought around a leg to kick him in the head.

Guy was forced back, and Zabuza swam away.

Reaching the shore, Zabuza pulled himself onto it. Finding his sword, he picked it up and turned as Guy emerged from the water. The spandex-clad man was dripping. His posture told Zabuza that he was injured. However, Zabuza had barely hit him. He was walking with a limp.

'Hmm, your water dragon jutsu slowed down my punch.' said Guy. 'If it hadn't, you would be in two pieces right now.'

'The Eight Gates technique.' said Zabuza. 'I knew you were a master of it. I didn't think it was powerful enough to break my water prison jutsu, however.'

'You underestimated my power.' said Guy. 'But you were a worthy opponent.'

Zabuza forced himself up and spun his sword around. 'More worthy than you might think.'

Summoning a mist around them, he darted away into the shadows.

'A mist…' said Guy.

'I was trained to withstand even the most serious of injuries.' said Zabuza, ignoring his bloodied shoulder. 'I can keep fighting, no matter how many bruises and stab wounds you put in me. And the Eight Gates has a serious weakness. When you use them, it injures the wielder. Right now, you're much weaker than you were before.'

'And now I have the mist on my side. You should have killed me when I was lying down like a true shinobi.'

'I don't think you know what a true shinobi is.' said Guy.

'Quiet!' said Zabuza.

He surged forward toward the injured Guy. Swinging around his blade, he brought it straight toward his enemy's neck. Even as he did so, however, Guy turned and caught the massive sword between two hands. Up came Guy's fist, and Zabuza barely dodged away. Guy was slow to pursue.

Why hadn't he pursued?

'The Eight Gates may have their drawbacks.' said Guy. 'But I've learned to endure them.'

'Maybe so,' said Zabuza. 'But you've taken a defensive stance. All this time, you've been going for an aggressive taijutsu strategy until now. That means you aren't in a position where you can move quickly.' He faded into the mist. 'Give my regards to your students.'

'Hey, come back!' cried Guy. 'We aren't done.'

'If you wish to continue our fight, by all means, chase me.' said Zabuza.

Then he was gone.

* * *

Tenten looked and saw three people emerging, all her age. The middle was a boy covered almost entirely in bandages. Only one eye was visible, and he wore a fur jacket around that. On one of his hands was a strange device. On his left was a short-haired boy clad in a tan tunic with black camo pants. To the right was a dark-haired girl holding a senbon.

All three of them wore the emblem of the Sound Village. The girl hurled a senbon, and Tenten dodged aside, before snatching up a kunai.

'Who are you?' Tenten asked.

'Why should it matter?' asked the girl. 'You're going to be dead in a few moments.'

'Don't count on it.' said Tenten. Then her vision shifted. 'What the…'

The ground beneath her feet was heaving. She could hardly move. Tenten fell to one knee as those before her multiplied.

'Like it?' asked the girl. 'Those bells on my senbon emit a wave of sound which screws with your perceptions. You can hardly even react right now, can you?'

Something struck Tenten in the face, and she reeled back. Suddenly Kin was standing over her, a kunai in hand. 'Now, should I take my time with you? Or finish you off slow?'

'We don't have time for this, Kin.' said the bandaged one. 'Our mission is to secure Tsunade.'

'Oh come on,' said Kin, 'why don't you do that while I have some fun with her.'

'Fine.' said Dosu. 'Just don't take too long.'

Kin kneeled by her. Tenten slashed at her with her kunai, but she wasn't there. Suddenly Kin was behind her and multiplying into thousands. She gripped Tenten by the hair and set a blade near her eye. 'Now, which do you want to lose first? Your eyes or your fingers?'

'Not so fast!' said a voice.

There was a blur of green. Then a thousand Rock Lees came out of nowhere and struck the thousands of Kin's, sending them all flying. They landed, merging, and crashed into a single tree before slumping to the ground. Then Tenten could see perfectly.

Neji was by her. 'Lee! Neji!' she said.

'Are you all right, Tenten?' asked Lee.

'Yes, I'm fine. Watch out for these guys, Lee.' said Tenten. 'They have some strange abilities based on sound.'

Dosu and the third boy were standing over an unconscious Tsunade, a syringe in their hands. Tsunade looked unconscious. 'Well, it looks like we have more inconveniences to deal with.' said Dosu.

'If they use sound, then I will simply strike them before they can emit it.' said Lee.

'Bold words.' said Dosu. 'But you'll find neither of us is as weak as Kin. Zaku, take care of him.'

Zaku stepped forward and raised a hand. From it came a wave, and a huge amount of dirt was kicked up. Lee leaped over the crest and came downwards toward him. Zaku raised his other hand. Before he could strike, Lee was already on him. He was forced to dodge, and when he raised his hand to strike again, Lee had already moved and kicked him in the back.

Zaku landed on the ground.

'Damn it. He's fast.' said Zaku, standing up.

'I'm a genius of hard work.' said Lee. 'No one can keep up with my speed.'

'Keep up with this!' Zaku pointed his hand to the left of Lee and unleashed a wave of sound. Moving it in an arc Lee was forced to dodge, running around. As he ran, Zaku fired off his other hand, herding him.

Lee leaped into the air to avoid it. Yet even as he did, Dosu appeared above him. His claw in hand Dosu raised his weapon. 'I have you!'

Then Neji was there. Dosu ducked under a punch and spun away. Even as he did, Zaku brought up his sound waves to strike at them. Lee and Neji kicked off each other and landed on opposite sides of the stream. Zaku turned off his assault. Tenten could see him clenching his hands in pain. There must have been a limit to how long he could use it.

'Neji! Thanks!' said Lee. 'You're a lifesaver!'

'Be careful, Lee.' said Neji. 'We don't know what they are capable of.' Then he fell to one knee.

'You look a little unsteady on your feet.' said Lee. 'If you want, I could fight both.'

'No need.' said Neji. 'I can handle this.'

'You can handle this. ' said Dosu, walking forward. 'That may be true. You're Neji Hyuga, the first in his class at the Village Hidden in the Leaves Ninja Academy.'

'You're well informed.' said Neji.

'The Sound Village prides itself on knowing its enemies.' said Dosu.

Then he surged forward. Neji ducked backward to avoid a series of blows easily. His hands moved in a blur as he weaved around the Sound Villagers attacks. Then he halted. Dosu remained in one place. Then suddenly, Neji collapsed to his knee, gasping for air.

'What the hell!' said Tenten. 'He didn't even touch Neji!'

'My device amplifies sound.' said Dosu. 'Even coming into proximity against me is suicide.'

'Perhaps so.' said Neji. 'However, if you know who I am, then I'm sure you're aware of the Hyuga Clans signature abilities.'

'You need a glancing blow to make them work.' said Dosu. 'And you won't get even that!'

He surged forward toward Neji, who struggled to stand. Then, Neji brought up one hand and blocked the fist. Dosu looked eager, even through his bandages. 'I have you!'

He activated his device. Nothing happened.

'What the…' began Dosu.

'Eight Trigrams!' said Neji. 'Thirty-Two Palms!'

Then he unleashed a flurry of blows against Dosu. The Sound Villager reeled beneath the onslaught, before finally being thrown backward. He hit a tree and slumped to the ground.

'I sealed the chakra network in your arm.' said Neji. 'You are no longer able to use your weapon. That was your trump card. Now it's over.'

'Did you forget about me, Hyuga?' asked a voice.

Senbon shot out of nowhere, and Neji ducked under them. Kin was walking forward with a limp. A kunai was in her hand. 'Huh, guess I missed. Those eyes of yours are pretty good at seeing Hyuga. However, how do they measure up when you can't even tell what's real. I've just used some extra special bells on you. Right now, the ground beneath your feet doesn't seem real.

'You can hardly even react to me when I do this.'

Neji had already been on his last legs when he'd done this. Now his eyes were wide. He had his three hundred and sixty-degree vision activated. He could see through walls. That alone meant Neji experienced far more sensory information than most people. That made the delusions that much more effective.

Tenten picked up her kunai and began to sneak forward. Kin didn't see her.

'What's the matter, Hyuga? Given up yet?' asked Kin. 'Too bad, cause we're just getting started.'

Neji grabbed the wire of the senbon. For a moment, there was silence. Then Kin screamed in agony and fell to the ground. 'Arg! What did…'

'You operate your bells by channeling your chakra through them.' said Neji. 'I can see chakra wherever it is. I only had to follow your threads to find you. Once I had them, I could use my clan's abilities to strike at your chakra network directly.'

'Damn it…' said Kin.

Neji kneeled and struck her in a pressure point, knocking her out cold. Then he looked up. 'Are you all right Tenten?'

'Fine.' said Tenten.

Lee was still fighting Zaku. From the looks of things, Zaku had been reduced to roaring in frustration. He could keep Lee from getting at him, but he couldn't hit him. So it was a stalemate.

'…Did you defeat Haku?' asked Neji, noticing her.

Tenten nodded proudly. 'I probably could have taken on these guys. However, I ran out of kunai.'

'How?' asked Neji incredulously. 'She has a bloodline. It shouldn't be possible for someone like you to defeat her.'

Not this again. 'I just used proper techniques, that's all.' said Tenten.

'…I see.' said Neji, deactivating his Byakugan. 'She must have been fatigued from her battle with me.'

'Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.' said Tenten.

At that moment, Zaku flew past them and landed unconscious. Rock Lee had gotten in one hit, and that had been enough. 'I did it, Tenten! The power of youth triumphs again!'

'We should secure Tsunade at once-' began Neji.

Then two senbon shot into his neck. He collapsed.

'Neji!' cried Tenten. Then she felt a piercing sensation in her neck, and everything went dark.

* * *

Zabuza arrived and found Haku sitting on the ground. Her mask was damaged, and her garments torn. Several bruises were on her. However, there was more than half a dozen unconscious ninja around her.

Zabuza was impressed. He wasn't sure how she had managed it. However, coming out on top when facing two entire teams of ninjas was impressive, even for her. 'Haku, can you stand?'

'Yes, Master Zabuza.' said Haku.

'Good.' said Zabuza. 'We'll secure our targets and get out of here.'

Fortunately, the Sound Ninja had drugged Tsunade with something. Whatever it was proved far stronger than any sedative, which Zabuza had ever heard of. Tsunade remained unconscious for the entire return journey. And Shizune was far easier to keep sedated.

Zabuza's wounds pained him. Haku knew enough healing jutsu to tend to them, but they still took time. They had to spend much of their time moving as quickly as they could. They saw no further signs of Guy or his associates.

Eventually, they came to the meeting place and dropped off their prisoners. They were led quickly to an office, and there Gortel greeted them. The man shook Zabuza's hand firmly. 'Ah, the man of the hour! I can't thank you enough for completing this mission. You have the gratitude of bankers and money lenders everywhere.'

'It's of no consequence.' said Zabuza. 'You realize that if she escapes-'

'You needn't concern yourself.' said Gortel. 'I've set aside facilities capable of holding her in the short term. So we won't have to hold her long. Someone has offered to pay her debts.' He motioned to a guard, who brought forth two bags. 'Here is your payment, as promised. It has been an absolute pleasure doing business with both of you. Oh, and, should I have further need of your services, will you be available?'

Zabuza couldn't help but like this man. 'Truth be told this mission was far more than I bargained for. I think I'll look into something a bit safer next.'

'Well, that's understandable.' said Gortel. 'I actually may have something for you if you want it.' He drew out a sheet of paper and offered it to Zabuza.

Zabuza took it a looked over it. 'Yukie Fujikaze. The one who makes those terrible martial arts flicks.'

'Well, I've never been fond of them myself. However, the pay is good. ' said Gortel. 'You'll have to discuss the matter with her manager. I wish you the best of luck.'

'To you as well.' said Zabuza.

Gortel smiled as they turned to leave. 'Oh, and if things go well in overthrowing the Mizukage, I'll be happy to give you a loan for the reconstruction.'

Zabuza halted. Gortel was far more intelligent than he let on. '…Thank you.' He said. 'Thank you very much.'

Overall the mission had been more than a little productive.

'What do you think will happen to Tsunade, Master Zabuza?' asked Haku.

'It doesn't matter.' said Zabuza. 'We have our pay. What happens after the mission isn't our concern.'

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Well, here we have chapter five. Enjoy.

I hope that Zabuza didn't do too well against Guy. I figure that since Guy and Kakashi are rivals, they would be about equal. That being the case, Zabuza ought to be able to fight Guy decently.


	6. Penance! End of the Hunt!

**Chapter Six: Penance! End of the Hunt!**

Team Guy had finished healing themselves and was now assembled before their sensei. The Sound Ninja were tied up next to a tree. Meanwhile, Guy himself was walking with a crutch for now. Even so, he was beaming.

'You've all performed exceptionally.' he said with a thumbs up. 'Every last one of you performed with all the youthful spirit I could have expected.'

'But Guy-sensei, we failed to rescue Tsunade.' said Rock Lee.

'Yeah.' said Tenten. 'Tell me about it.'

Guy put a hand on Lee's shoulder. 'Lee, Tenten, in time you'll learn that failure is the best teacher. When you lose, don't mope around. Stand tall and use it to motivate you to get stronger. So the next time you have a task, you don't fail in it.'

'Buy Guy-sensei, what will happen to Tsunade?' asked Tenten.

'You don't need to worry, Tenten.' said Guy. 'Lady Tsunade is in good hands. The Fourth Hokage always has a backup plan and set out to take care of things personally right after we left. He'll handle things from here. And you don't need to worry about your records. This mission became an A rank the moment we had to fight Zabuza.

'Now for the lessons;' He looked to Neji. 'Neji, you demonstrated great skill. But your inability to adapt to changing circumstances led to defeat. If you're going to beat that Haku girl next time you'll have to learn to do better. From now on you'll focus on perfecting your chakra control until you can use kaiten on open water.'

'As you command, sensei.' said Neji. His face was impassive.

'While wearing weights.' said Guy. Neji flinched. 'Rock Lee wears weights, and it has done wonders for his speed.'

'Understood.' said Neji.

Guy looked to Tenten. 'Tenten you demonstrated superb mastery of missile weapons.'

'Thank you sensei.' said Tenten.

'Which is why you're going to start practicing with explosive tags.' said Guy. 'You need to become more versatile if you're going to be a splendid ninja. I want you also to practice your taijutsu as well.'

'Lee.' He looked to Rock Lee.

Rock Lee saluted. 'Yes, Guy-sensei! I'll wear even more weights!'

'That'll be more of the same Lee, and that's not what you need.' said Guy. 'You're plenty fast and well on your way to becoming a splendid ninja. But your weak point is your lack of ranged ability. If you'd faced off against any of the other Sound Ninja, you'd have been defeated.

'Tenten will be teaching you the use of missile weapons while wearing weights. That goes for you too, Neji. You can teach her a few things about taijutsu as well. While you're fighting on water.' Finally, he slashed the air with his hand. 'Now, with a job well done, let's take the prisoners and go home.'

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised at the place where Banker Gortel resided. It seemed far too much like the Leaf Village. He was even more surprised when the door opened, and Gortel peered out. The man took off his hat. 'Ah, the Hokage of the Leaf Village in my home. Please, please come in. What brings you here?'

'I think you already know why I am here, Gortel.' said Sarutobi. 'I thought I might discuss the matter with you personally.'

'Yes, yes a most unfortunate business.' said Gortel, leading him inside. 'I don't have anything personal against Tsunade. But there comes a point where you have to respond to these things.'

'I am aware that Tsunade was far from blameless.' said Hiruzen, liking the man's style. 'She owes you and many others a great deal. I was hoping I might be able to pay off the debt in return for her freedom.'

'Very generous on your part, Hokage.' said Gortel. 'Unfortunately, I think that may be beyond your means.'

'The Leaf Village is quite affluent, I assure you.' said Hiruzen.

Gortel looked annoyed. 'Not affluent enough, I can tell you. And in truth, you aren't the first person who's made that offer today.'

'What do you mean?' asked Hiruzen.

They entered the living room. There, sitting on the couch, was a white-skinned, black-haired man. He was handsome, in a deathlike way and he smiled disturbingly as Hiruzen entered. Raising a cup of tea; 'Well Sensei, fancy running into you here.'

'…Orochimaru.' said Hiruzen.

There was another knock on the door as he sat down. Gortel went to open it. Hiruzen glanced back and saw a white-haired, tan-skinned man with broad shoulders. He was clad in a red outfit.

'Hey, are you Gortel?' asked Jiraiya.

''Yes I am.' said Gortel. 'How may I help you, my good man?'

'I'd like to talk to you about paying off Tsunade's debts.' said Jiraiya.

'Well, Jiraiya. It's a regular reunion.' said Orochimaru as he entered. 'I never imagined that anyone could waste so much money. Tsunade truly has fallen far.'

'Yeah, well at least she never started human experimentation.' said Jiraiya as he sat down.

'Well, when one desires something, one has to pursue it. Regardless of the little sacrifices that need to be made along the way.' said Orochimaru.

'Little sacrifices?' asked Jiraiya. 'You always did have a morbid sense of humor.'

'Oh but I'm speaking with utmost sincerity.' said Orochimaru. 'I'm sure sensei could tell you that much, Jiraiya.'

'Our host is here.' said Hiruzen.

Gortel sat down and put down three cups of tea in front of them. He sipped his own cup. Then set it down. 'Really now, things are troublesome. She has taken so many loans from the banks over the years that it is quite beyond any one party's ability to pay off. Unfortunately, that puts me in a bad position. I don't believe for a moment that I can hold her indefinitely. And I certainly can't kill her. Not without the consent of the Leaf Village.

'But at the same time, I can't just let her go. Not without assurances.

'Thus, the question is; what is to be done? I want to come to a solution good for all parties, you understand.'

'…We could pool our resources to pay off her debts.' said Jiraiya.

'Unfortunately, I have an agenda.' said Hiruzen. 'I came here to bring her into the fold as well as to free her. And I am certain Orochimaru has an agenda of his own.'

'Of course, I do.' said Orochimaru. 'And since I expect our interests to diverge I don't think we can gain anything by pooling our money.'

Hiruzen considered the matter. 'I may have a solution. One which will benefit all involved.'

'Oh?' said Orochimaru. 'Do tell sensei?

'Tsunade is one of the greatest healers in the history of the world. No one alive comes close to her.' said Hiruzen. 'Thus far, she has wasted her talents wandering around gambling. However, if she were to go into business as a doctor, she could make a great deal of profit. In the process, she could heal the sick and injured of the lands.'

'I see.' said Gortel. 'And a significant portion of everything she earns would go into paying off her debts. Yes, this actually might work. It could take some years, but it is better to get some than none. But what assurances can we give my compatriots that she'll uphold her end of the bargain?'

Orochimaru smiled. 'I have certain talents which could be used to compel her, whether she wants it or not.'

'Out of the question.' said Hiruzen.

'Not entirely.' said Gortel. 'However, let us look for alternatives. Who is capable of keeping Tsunade in line? Her assistant Shizune has been unable to rein her in.'

'Well uh… I might be able to keep an eye on her.' said Jiraiya. 'I've paid off a bunch of her smaller debts when she was in trouble so that she might listen to me.'

'Sensei, I have a simple solution to that problem.' said Orochimaru. 'We need only appeal to Tsunade's conscience.'

* * *

Tsunade was blindfolded. Her hands and feet were bound in a spread eagle position. She'd already tried breaking them to no avail. She was wearing restraints meant to seal her chakra network. Then she heard footsteps outside her cell. Familiar footsteps.

'Jiraiya, is that you?' she asked,

'Heh, you read my footsteps.' said Jiraiya. 'Glad to hear you haven't lost your touch Tsunade.'

He drew off the blindfold. The white-haired man was in front of her, scratching his head. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. 'What is going on here? Did you pay off my debts again?'

'Like usual, you mean?' asked Jiraiya. 'Nah, turns out you've racked up a bill way larger than I can pay. It's way larger than the old man or Orochimaru can pay.'

'Orochimaru?' asked Tsunade. 'What is he doing here?'

'Apparently, he's in charge of the Sound Village.' said Jiraiya. 'He came here hoping to buy you, but he didn't have enough cash. Old Man Hiruzen tried to buy your freedom too.'

'Trying to bring me back into the fold?' guessed Tsunade. 'He sent some ninja to help me.' She hoped those Leaf Ninja had survived. That girl had been nice, and they'd tried to help her.'

'Yeah. It's a regular reunion of Team Sannin.' said Jiraiya. 'Of course, since both can't control you, they aren't going to combine cash to get you out.'

Tsunade sighed. 'It doesn't matter. This won't hold me long. Sooner or later, I'll break out.'

Another person entered. 'As it turns out that won't be necessary, Tsunade.'

Tsunade looked up to the old man. 'Hiruzen.'

'We have reached an arrangement of sorts with the banks.' said Hiruzen.

At that moment, Orochimaru entered the room. Casual and smiling. 'Yes. I had hoped to have you as a prisoner, but a reunion with the old gang is a small consolation prize. Do tell her my own part to play in things, sensei?'

'What is he talking about?' asked Tsunade.

'You and Shizune will be free to leave.' said Hiruzen. 'The banks will release you on the condition that you begin using your skills as a doctor to make a career. You will quit gambling, and all the profits you make will go toward paying off your debts.'

Tsunade stared. 'Quit gambling? I can't do that!'

'I'm afraid you'll have to.' said Hiruzen. 'As part of the deal, Jiraiya is going to be checking up on you now and again. He'll make sure you don't go into any gambling dens.'

'And what if I do?' asked Hiruzen.

'Well then, dear, Tsunade,' said Orochimaru. 'I'll simply give one warning, then have everyone in those dens murdered.'

'What?' said Tsunade.

'Well gambling is an affliction on our society.' said Orochimaru. 'It causes men to waste money that could feed their family on drink and games of chance. I wish to do my part to ensure it doesn't tempt you down a dark path.'

Tsunade stared. '…How do you say that with a straight face? Hiruzen, how could you possibly allow this?'

'What Orochimaru does with his own village is his business.' admitted Hiruzen. 'Gortel has agreed to it as part of a compromise, and I'm not in a position to argue. There are a great many people who have a vested interest in making back their money. I don't know if you've realized this Tsunade, but there are children alive who have lost more than you at a younger age. And they aren't throwing away their futures on alcohol and cards.

'Tsunade, you are the greatest medical ninja in history. You can heal wounds and cure sicknesses that no one else can. And what are you doing with your extraordinary gifts? Robbing banks and using the money to drink yourself into oblivion?

'And now you've caused an international incident.'

'You have no right to do this! I won't cooperate!' said Tsunade.

'All right then Tsunade.' said Hiruzen. 'You can stay in your cell. I doubt we'll have the time to release you again, even if we feel obligated to do so.'

'He's got a point, Tsunade.' said Jiraiya. 'You really screwed up this time. I can't keep bailing you out like this.'

'I…' Tsunade paused, 'damn you.'

'Oh, don't worry.' said Orochimaru. 'You're the greatest doctor the world has ever seen. I'm sure if you charge a reasonable fee and take every case, you'll pay off the debts at some point before you die. Or perhaps half of the debts.

'But don't worry. If you can't pay them off in this lifetime, I've learned several Jutsus. They can keep you in this world well past the end of your natural life.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Hiruzen.

'I want to learn every jutsu to every exist, sensei.' said Orochimaru. 'I'm going to need a long time to do it. Among them is rediscovering jutsu the Leaf has stamped out.'

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. 'I should have killed you when I had the chance.'

Orochimaru smiled. 'Yes, you should have. Still, I am quite happy to be here. Now Tsunade I have a particular patient for you, and I'll pay quite well for you to heal him. A poor boy named Kimmimaro who works for me. He recently contracted a severe disease that is slowly killing him. I'm sure you can cure it.'

'I think I can pay off the debt without helping your goon squad, Orochimaru.' hissed Tsunade.

Orochimaru raised a paper with a number on it. A very, very big number. One with a great many zeroes in it. 'What's this?' asked Tsunade.

'It's your debt to one of the banks you've been taking money from under false pretenses.' said Orochimaru.

'But… how…' Tsunade could hardly speak.

'Before interest.' said Orochimaru, smile widening.

Tsunade suddenly felt lightheaded. The world was swimming. That number. It could not be real? Could it? She felt as if she was falling away. '…I'll take the job.' she managed to get out.

And then she blacked out.

* * *

Authors Note:

Okay, so we are approaching a decision point. I'm considering continuing this fanfic. However, I'm also considering making the future adventures of Zabuza and Haku. I'm even contemplating ending the fic right here and focusing on the Hunt for Tsunade. Any insight you guys might have would be appreciated.


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